The new Bush Hog RFM-60 rear discharge finishing mower comes with eight standard Bush Hog Tough features such as blades, gearboxes with tapered roller bearings and hitch A-frames that float from two different positions to follow ground contours. Axle arms are equipped with offset wheels to prevent tracking and reduce soil compaction, the company says. The RFM-60 models are designed to provide a smooth even cut with the distribution of rear discharge, it adds. Contact Bush Hog, (www.bushhog.com).

Caterpillar’s diesel particulate filter system for off-highway machines has earned Level 3 conditional verification from the California Environmental Pro-tection Agency Air Resources Board. The verification recognizes the system as reliable and effective in achieving at least an 85 percent reduction in particulate matter exhaust emissions, the company says. The system also meets the California 2009 regulation governing nitrogen dioxide emissions. Contact Caterpillar, (www.cat.com).

An insecticide label for Safari from Valent U.S.A. Corp. has been expanded to include such new pests and invasive species as chilli thrips, cycad scale, asian longhorn beetle and hemlock woolly adelgid. The label also adds language to include interior plantscapes as a use site. The systemic insecticide is said to control a broad spectrum of landscape pests such as adelgids, aphids, armored and soft scales, leafminers, mealybugs, leaf-feeding beetles andwood-boring beetles. Contact Valent Professional Products, 800-898-2536 (www.valentpro.com).

The Toro Co. has added its Titan QuickChange tine head to its line of aeration equipment. The design allows tines to be changed easily and quickly for more efficient turf aeration, the company says. An exclusive taper lock installation uses one tool to replace tines without nuts, bolts or wrenches. During aeration, worn or damaged tines can be removed and replaced in the field if necessary, which can lead to reduced downtime and improved aeration quality, the company adds. Contact The Toro Co., 800-803-8676 (www.toro.com).

Designed to help newly constructed golf courses begin play sooner and to enhance root zones on greens, Profile Greens Grade Fortified RZ from Profile Golf is the latest in its line of inorganic soil amendments. The patent-pending formula combines microbes, humic acid and plant hormones, which the company says enhance microbial activity in the root zone with the porous structure of ceramic particles. Profile Greens Grade Fortified RZ is said to accelerate turf establishment when incorporated into the greens mix and also permanently enhance the root zone to make turf more resistant to stress and less prone to disease. The product’s performance meets USGA specifications for putting green construction, falling within the medium-to-coarse particle range for USGA guidelines. Made from silica and kiln-fired illite clay, Profile Greens Grade Fortified RZ is also dust-free, stable, uniform in size and able to withstand traffic without compaction, the company adds. Contact Profile Golf, 800-207-6457 (www.profileproducts.com).

The Turf Tender 413, a mounted topdresser from Dakota Peat, features electric over hydraulic or manual hydraulic controls. The 112-inch-long and 60-inch-wide vehicle offers a dual spinner system with two throw discs, quick change, an adjustable spreading application with a 12- to 40-foot variable and two hydraulic motors. Optional spinners are tailored for fertilizer or grass seed applications. The hopper measures 85 inches long by 60 inches wide and supplies a capacity of about 2½ cubic yards. Loading height is 67 inches, and the rear door opening ranges from 0 to 11 inches. Additional options include rear legs as jack stands, a rear conveyor and roll tarp. Contact Dakota Peat, 800-424-3443 (www.dakotapeat.com).

Banol fungicide from Bayer Environmental Science has been registered for use in California, the company announces. Available in a liquid formulation, Banol is said to deliver preventive and curative protection for foliar and root Pythium species. Registered for use on golf courses, sod farms, commercially grown ornamentals in greenhouses and container-grown ornamentals in nurseries, Banol can be used after germination to control Pythium damping-off in turf or on established turf to prevent or control Pythium blight and cool-season Pythium root rot. Contact Bayer Environmental Science, (www.backedbybayer.com).

The ProEdge bedknife grinder from Turf Pride LLC sharpens both the top face and front edge of bedknives. Operators begin by setting the angle, touching off each end and beginning to sharpen the front edge. Users then move the grinding stone vertically and repeat the same procedure to surface the top face, the company says. A cupped stone is a special composite material that dissipates heat, eliminating the need for water coolant, it adds. Contact Turf Pride LLC, 888-427-7605 (www.turfprideusa.com).

Bird-B-Gone Inc. introduces its Goose Chase Super Sonic, a sound deterrent that uses recorded goose distress calls mixed with predator calls to deter geese from outdoor areas. The waterproof device can be modified in different modes and sound combinations to deter the pests, the company says. The Goose Chase Super Sonic, designed especially for golf courses, lakefront homes, parks and more, can cover an area of up to 1 acre with optional speakers that will provide up to 5 acres of coverage. Contact Bird-B-Gone Inc., 800-392-6915
(www.birdbgone.com).

Advanced Sensor Technology Inc. has made upgrades to its wireless soil sensors that provide data for its RZ-Wireless system. The changes result in greater accuracy for monitoring moisture, salinity and temperature, the company says. The sensors use two frequencies — one to measure soil moisture and one to measure soil salinity — and can produce accurate measurements in varying soil types and high-salinity soils, it adds. Because the sensors, which can be installed at any soil depth or orientation, are designed to have a low variation in measurements, individual sensors can be interchanged, allowing users to reconfigure the system according to their needs. Contact Advanced Sensor Technology Inc., (www.advancedsensors.com).

Because of a recent modification adopted by the Rules Committee of the USGA and the R&A, the Fix-Master, a divot repair tool manufactured by Starting Time that attaches to the end of a putter, now adheres to the rules of golf. The Fix-Master allows ball marks on greens to be repaired with the user standing up. Divots are repaired by holding the putter head, standing over the mark and jabbing the ground around the mark a few times, the company says. Contact Starting Time, 800-851-5442 (www.startingtimegolf.com).

Softee Automation and Belrobotics have developed the Bigmow and Parcmow robotic mowers, which are guided by an on-board computer to mow an area defined by a low-voltage underground wire. The Bigmow measures 42 inches wide, while the Parcmow is 21 inches wide. With floating head technology to eliminate scalped lawns, the Bigmow features five 8½-inch floating heads and the Parcmow three. Equipped with sonar technology and safety bumpers, the device slows down and touches any obstacle in its path, turns and continues in another direction based on the sonar reading its path. The units sense the dense and high grass by the resistance on the cutting heads and will mow those areas more frequently. The units are driven by 24-volt rechargeable batteries that, when low, automatically send the unit to the recharging station. After an hour and a half of recharging time, the unit begins a new cycle. Contact Softee Automation, 910-253-4503 (www.softeeautomation.com).

The new Café Express SE from Club Car is designed specially for hilly golf courses and hungry and thirsty golfers, the company says. The mobile merchandising vehicle comes with a more powerful engine and industrial-grade tires to make transporting food, beverages and merchandise easier on challenging terrains. Built on a modified Club Car Carryall 295 SE aluminum I-beam frame and chassis, the Café Express SE is powered by a 23-hp, 400-cc Kawasaki 4-cycle engine. The new model also provides additional space for trash, a second beverage dispenser, more storage space, 16.6 cubic feet of cold storage space with in-wall foam insulation and 3.3 cubic feet of consumable ice storage. Contact Club Car, (www.clubcar.com).

The Solo hedge trimmer model 160 features a rotating handle and a 25-cc displacement two-cycle gas-fired engine. Designed to enable landscapers and gardeners to cut hedges easier and faster, the unit’s handle can be rotated and locked into seven positions from 30-degree to 90-degree angles, the company says. The handle is also inclined against the cutting line by about 15 degrees in every position to protect users’ hands from scratches. A forged con-rod, a three-show centrifugal clutch, a three-piece crankshaft and a cylinder with a Nikasil-coated contact surface are additional features. The 160 hedge trimmer is 22 inches long, weighs 12 pounds and features an anti-vibration isolation system for operator comfort. Contact Solo Inc., (www.solousa.com).

The HoseTap, a new hose connection device from Underhill International, facilitates hand watering on golf courses. HoseTap can be used anywhere on a course where a Toro or Rain Bird electric valve-in-head sprinkler is installed and where quick couplers or hose bibs are not available. The device is installable by tapping into an irrigation line, removing the sprinkler internal assembly and setting the HoseTap directly into the snap ring, where it connects to a hose with a brass swivel. Three models are available: HN-T100 for all Toro 1-inch inlet golf sprinklers; HN-T150 for all Toro 1½-inch inlet golf rotors; and HN-R125 for all Rain Bird Eagle 700 series golf sprinklers. Constructed from color-coded anodized aircraft aluminum, the HoseTap body is designed not to break or wear like plastic. Each device includes a precision metal disc, o-ring and riser. Brass hose swivels are sold separately. Contact Underhill International, 866-863-3744 (www.underhill.us).

The Aire Vue inflatable display system is a lightweight, durable air-inflatable sign that replaces a traditional metal frame sign for advertising displays. Developed by Above All Advertising Inc., the portable display system can be used on top of a vehicle, in front of buildings or on water. The Aire Vue alleviates scratched surfaces and also may circumvent municipal ordinances that regulate signage when placed on top of a vehicle or another mobile surface, the company says. A high-quality, screen-printed fabric sleeve, which can be reordered and customized per advertising message, is secured over a plastic A-frame that can be quickly deflated for storage and transportation. The Aire Vue inflatable is available with options such as a protective mat for additional surface protection, a 110-volt air blower, a battery-operated air blower or a foot pump. Contact Above All Advertising Inc., 866-552-2683 (www.abovealladvertising.net).

A new universal push-to-connect assembly, available from Parker Hannifin Corp.’s tube fittings division, in conjunction with its hose products and Parflex divisions, is said to provide leak-free connections for compact fluid power systems in industrial, mobile and construction equipment. Using the company’s Seal-Lok O-ring face seal adapter or EO metric bite-type fittings, the universal push-to-connect system suits rigid inch and metric tubing, hydraulic hose assemblies and thermoplastic hose assemblies that involve tube-hose, tube-port and hose-port connections. With male geometry, the device can be substituted on any existing Parker Seal-Lok or EO fitting system. Assembly is simple by pushing the hose or tube into the adapter to create a leak-free connection, the company says. Once fully engaged, the retaining element in the connection is trapped between the male and the universal push-to-connect nut and cannot escape, even under vibration and high pressure, the company adds. Contact Parker Hannifin Corp., 800-272-7537 (www.parker.com).

In April 2008, Innolytics LLC began offering customers the option of using an automatic digital camera system to accompany its OvoControl P pigeon population control method. The camera can make counting pigeons and making observations easier for customers, the company says. The cameras also can be set to automatically deliver the pictures to a computer every day. Contact Innolytics LLC, (www.innolyticsllc.com).

The new TriWave walking seeder from Turfco Manufacturing combines the features of the company’s TriWave 60-inch tractor-mounted overseeder with the elements of a smaller, self-propelled machine. The result is a walking seeder that the company says increases the success of seeding operations and is easy to operate, adjust and maintain. Featuring the company’s patented WaveBlade design, the machine provides the ability to turn while seeding with minimal disruption to existing turf, the company says. WaveBlades are mounted on two 18-inch-wide patented independent floating seed heads that are capable of following uneven ground contours. Blades are spaced 1½ inches apart for greater seed density and increased germination. Powered by a Vanguard 27-hp Big Block V-twin engine from Briggs & Stratton, the unit is operable with one lever to simultaneously start and stop the blades, raise and lower the seed heads and open and close the seed box gate. A second lever controls the forward and reverse drive. Contact Turfco Manufacturing, 800-679-8201 (www.turfco.com).

A three-step suite of natural pond care products from Outdoor Water Solutions Inc. is designed to work with nature to enhance the aesthetics of outdoor water features. The Pond Care Pack system consists of all-natural nontoxic tools to improve water quality, the company says. The first of the three-step system is a lake and pond water clarifier to help clean and clarify murky water and tie up excess nutrients. The second step is lake and pond bacteria, which break down organic matter and muck on the bottom of a pond. Finally, a lake and pond dye is designed to reduce sunlight penetration and add a natural blue hue to water. When used together, the products are said to improve outdoor water environments and produce cleaner, healthier outdoor water when combined with aeration. Contact Outdoor Water Solutions Inc., 866-471-1614 (www.outdoorwatersolutions.com). 

Nine new models of compact tractors from Bobcat Co. have recently been introduced to the market. Bobcat models CT120, CT122, CT225, CT230 and CT235 are currently available, while four additional models will be released this year. Equipped with four-wheel drive for traveling over and working in rough terrain, the tractors feature hydrostatic transmissions and can be used with Bobcat implements such as angle blades, augers, backhoes, box blades, finish mowers, seeders and tine rakes. They also can be used with a front-end loader and its attachments. Built with design features to provide superior visibility to the front of the tractors, the vehicles also offer comfort and safety features such as a spark arrestor muffler, horn, brake lights and an operator’s handbook. Optional amenities include a Bobcat suspension seat and a fully retractable seat belt. A roll-over protective structure can be folded down for convenient transportation and storage. Contact Bobcat Co., (www.bobcat.com).

The next generation of diffused aeration systems from Otterbine Barebo Inc. has recently been introduced. The Air Flo 2 system provides optimum aeration while maintaining the natural aesthetics of a water feature, the company says. Diffused aeration systems induce oxygen into water features by producing air bubbles at the pond’s bottom. The bubbles then are transferred through the entire water column, mixing bottom and top waters and breaking up thermal stratification, the company adds. Features of the new system include gas piston compressors for operating depths up to 40 feet, the choice of self-cleaning dome diffusers or traditional air stone diffusers, no electrical connections in the water, a shore-mounted cabinet for quiet operation, a clean air intake system and corrosion-resistant materials. Contact Otterbine Barebo Inc., (www.otterbine.com).

Submit “Product news” to Darcy DeVictor, GCM associate editor.